Architecture in Brief

Introduction

There are many ancient and beautiful churches across the British Isles, many
of which are now Anglican churches. From the time of the Reformation to the late
18th century, Catholics were not allowed to build churches. It was only until
the mid and late 19th century that a number of fine Catholic churches were built
in Britain, usually commissioned and paid for by wealthy individuals. Holy Rood
is one of these churches, commissioned by Stephen Taprell Holland, a
Hertfordshire businessman and Catholic convert.

Taprell Holland bought land on the "Rose and Crown Meadow" site at Watford
and commissioned John Francis Bentley to build and furnish a church, with no
expense spared. Bentley was a fine architect who was also a talented designer,
capable of working in metalwork, woodwork, textiles and stained glass.

It has been described as "One of the noblest examples of the refined,
knowledgeable and sensitive Gothic Revival of that time", by Nicholas Pevsner
(in his book "Buildings of England").

The Exterior

The church occupies an almost square site in the centre of Watford, bounded
on three sides by the roads Market Street, Percy Road and Exchange Road.

The exterior walls are finished in knapped flint facing and stone dressing (a
local traditional style). The roof is finished with red tiles and lead (again,
following local tradition), and the north west corner of the church contains a
splendid flint tower. The church has a complex exterior, with many gables, many
varied levels, differing window heights and sizes as well as contrasting stones
and dark flint. These different aspects are in keeping Holy Rood's environment,
particularly its neighbour, the 14th century Anglican church of St Mary in the
town centre.

Inside, the rooflines indicate a cruciform shape, in keeping
with the church's dedication to the Holy Rood (Holy Cross).

The Interior

The church has two public entrances, both at the western end of the building.
The main entrance opens onto Market Street while another entrance opens onto
Percy Road and leads into the base of the tower.

The single feature that dominates the church is the magnificent rood loft
that runs between two interior towers, across the front of the chancel. The left
bears a great crucifix that rises some 6 ft (about 1.8 m) above it, with
attendant figures of Our Lady and St John.

The church is not large, but is ideally proportioned with a total interior
length of 98 feet (about 30 m), a third of this being the chancel. The nave is
65 feet (about 20 m) wide (including its aisles).

The Nave

The church has a plain, but elegant nave, with celestory windows above
arcades which continue across the trancepts. The western end of the church
consists of a plain wall enclosing a huge window of twelve lights.

The nave's south wall contains two four-light windows which produce a mellow
golden light due to their tinting. The staining on the windows contains images
of Old Testament figures including Jacob, Zacharias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Moses,
David, Ocee and Malachias. These windows were designed by Bentley himself, while
George Daniels drew the cartoons and John Sears painted the glass.

The north trancept is larger than its twin on the south of the nave. This is
because the church is extended on the north side by the choir that is to the
left of the Lady Chapel. This trancept contains a commanding window that
stretches tall and slim almost from floor to ceiling.

The Holy Ghost Chapel

The Holy Ghost Chapel is found between the outer western bay of the north
trancept and the baptistry.

A Pentecostal theme inspires the painting of this vaulted ceiling, being
painted in deep red, adorned with golden tongues of fire.

High grade coloured marbles make the altar an arrangement of great beauty,
into which is set a coloured tile panel depicting the descent of the Holy Ghost
in the form of tongues of fire upon Our Lady and the Apostles. Above the altar
is suspended a silver dove representing the Holy Ghost.

The north wall contains three windows and an arched recess, originally
intended for Stephen Taprell Holland's tomb. However, various changes to the law
prevented this occurring and the founder is buried some distance away in the
village of Aldenham.

The Baptistry

The Baptistry is situated at the north west corner of the church, at the base
of the church's tower. At the centre is a carved column, above which is set an
angel carrying a shield emblazoned with the head of John the Baptist.

The ceiling of the Baptistry is another painted barrel vault. The Baptistry
also has a splendid central column and rib vaults, similar in design to a
medieval chapter house (such as those at Wells or Lincoln).

The Sanctuary

The Sanctuary is often to be considered to be a focal point of Bentley's
genius within the church. A wide variety of materials, colours, textures and
patterns blend into a harmonious whole, the eye being drawn to the crucified
Christ on the great rood and the golden tabernacle on the altar.

The chancel is an interesting architectural feature. The whole north and
south are taken up by triple arcades, supporting a gallery lit by large clear
windows. Taken as a whole, it is a structure of great interest in that there
seems always to be further depths and distances than first meets the eye.

The chancel is also superbly decorated. The lower arcade columns are adorned
with ballflowers and have carved capitals with vine leaf and grape relief of
high quality. Both sides of the chancel have notable panelling. The north side
has a projecting wooden aumbry painted in gilt and deep red, decorated with
golden pomegranates. On the south side there is an alcoved piscina (stone
basin).

The wall above between the panelling and the gallery's balustrade is
plastered and covered in mural painting. On the north pier of the chancel is
placed the fine carved wooden pulpit and sounding board (both made of oak). The
pulpit rests on a stone corbel which tapers down to a carving of a squirrel
among oak leaves. The church's relics (of St Domitilla and St Constantia) and
the church's foundation stone (laid by Cardinal Manning in 1889) are both set
into the pulpit.

The chancel's south pier hosts a mural of two winged angels and forms a
background to the shrine of the Sacred Heart. The statue of the shrine is
considered to be a piece of considerable merit in its own right.

The chancel arch is set very high in order to allow for the height of the
Rood. The Rood displays the agony and tragedy of the crucifixion but in
immediate contrast, the altar and east window form a joyful statement of the
triumph of the Victory of the Cross.

A single slab of red marble forms the altar frontal, edged with a pearl, gold
and green mosaic. The reredos is canopied and pinnacled in typical 14th century
style, with its four main panels painted with white robed angels carrying the
emblems of the four evangelists.

Filling the space between the reredos and the vault is the east window, a
window of seven lights. In the centre is Holy Rood surrounded by flowers
representing the world, with apostles grouped right and left. Above the Rood
sits Christ with rays of light beaming from his crucifixion wounds, while Our
Lady kneels to his right and St Joseph is on his left.

The altar steps are of pure white marble and the sanctuary flooring is partly
marble and partly encaustic tile, some of which bear Bentley's favourite motif,
a lion's head with its tongue sticking out.

As a complete work, the chancel can be described as a celebration of
Bentley's architecture, design and his workmen's crafts.

Chapel of St John the Evangelist

The altar of the chapel is modern and is dedicated to those who died in the
two world wars. Bentley deliberately left the two chapels without altars so that
the parish could involve itself in the furnishing of the church.

There are two windows in the south wall of the chapel: the nearest to the
altar is concerned with the Apocalypse and the events of St. John's life; the
second window represents Jesus calling John, James and Simon from their fishing
boat. The attractive tiled floor includes the curious device of armorial shields
with lions rampant divided by a continuous band of blue.

The Lady Chapel

Like the St. John's Chapel, the Lady Chapel is screened from the ambulatory
by a gilded ironwork grille, this one being a particularly fine example of the
blacksmith's craft.

The modern altar has two carved panels, one on either side of the central
statue of the Virgin and Child. The window, like that in St. John's Chapel, is
of three lights. In the centre light Our Lady sits enthroned with Christ the
Child on her knee. The side lights carry representations of the old Testament
Characters Moses, Jacob, David and Gideon. Just outside
the chapel is the shrine of the Blessed Virgin.

In Conclusion

This then is the church that Stephen Taprell Holland gave and John Francis
Bentley built. Holland lies buried at Aldenham, Bentley at Mortlanke, but of
both men it might be said in Holy Rood, as it is said of Wren at St. Pauls, "If
you seek of my memorial look around you".

(Adapted from "Church Of The Holy Rood, Watford. A History and Description
of the Church" by R. Bennett and J.E. Wright, 1989, ISBN
0-9515046-0-6)